Author: haoyando

Language And Custom (Flash Non-Fiction #46)

Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash This morning, as I spent ten minutes to review some Thai phrases from a website, I suddenly remember several strange incidents happened in school when I was learning English as a second language. I can't remember exactly when this happened, but it could be when I was a forth … Continue reading Language And Custom (Flash Non-Fiction #46) →

Sunday’s Story

Image by justraveling from Pixabay I went to the grocery store this morning. As I was pulling in the parking lot, I saw a woman sitting in the car next to me--she is crying while talking on the phone. I felt the urge to go comfort her, but I knew this couldn't be done since … Continue reading Sunday’s Story →

A Relationship Speculator (Flash Fiction #45)

Image by Jamie Nakamura from Pixabay Pammy: "I've never seen Armei and Arhu quarreling this much before. Almost everything Arhu said, his wife Armei objected. I wonder what has happened to the two. I observed them at the party. Glad the party is over and we are home now." Pammy's husband Pan: "Really? I hardly … Continue reading A Relationship Speculator (Flash Fiction #45) →

New Word #46: Recently Learned

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay firenado: a rapidly rotating column of flames above an intense fire, caused when air, dust, etc. is drawn into the fire from the surroundings and rises, creating a vortex. This word is obviously obtained from the word "tornado", which is referring to air vortex rather than fire vortex. I … Continue reading New Word #46: Recently Learned →

The Presentation (Flash Fiction #44)

Photo by Alexander Schimmeck on Unsplash Pam is going to give a presentation in a conference and she comes to Ivy Training Center to seek help. Since everybody is occupied, Ivy ends up assisting Pam. The Ivy Training Center almost went out of business several months ago--business was slow to a crawl due to pandemic … Continue reading The Presentation (Flash Fiction #44) →

New Word #45: The Fascinating “K” And “KY”

I've always been fascinated with words ending with "k" and "ky". There are a lot of them and each is sonorous, spontaneous, slang like, and vivid in the description of what it is supposed to describe. And it is no surprise that I can remember each one of them after just one encounter and never … Continue reading New Word #45: The Fascinating “K” And “KY” →

The Superstition (Flash Fiction #43)

Photo by Jari Hytönen on Unsplash Pammy finally gets her real estate license after taking the real estate test several times. And she helps Mr. Goh Yee and his wife to purchase their house in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Goh is a businessman from Malaysia and the only reason he wants to buy a house … Continue reading The Superstition (Flash Fiction #43) →

New Word #44: Recently Learned

Image by Kristine Lejniece from Pixabay bubba: used as an affectionate form of address to a brother. (North America)From annzimmerman's post here.This is the first time I encounter this word--it is so endearing. cassowary: a very large flightless bird related to the emuFrom Iseult Murphy's post here. Love large flightless bird. They look so eccentric … Continue reading New Word #44: Recently Learned →

Instant Response Too

Image by Michael Treu from Pixabay This is a follow up to the "Instant Response" I posted before, which unexpectedly has gained more comments than my other posts. Let's walk through the incident again. Last Thursday ago, I went to Walmart to get my second Moderna vaccine shot. The pharmacist, also an immigrant who's of … Continue reading Instant Response Too →

New Word #43: Peripatetic

Image by Chingiz Khalafov from Pixabay A Temporary Stay I learned the word peripatetic from mjcd2017 here. peripatetic: traveling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods. This word has a temporary feel to it. sojourn: a temporary stay. tarry: to remain or stay, as in a … Continue reading New Word #43: Peripatetic →

In Six Languages (Flash Fiction #42)

The Yang family has been running a takeout restaurant in this northeastern New Jersey town for 17 years. They have a daughter Lisa who's a 15-year-old and a son who's 10. When Lisa was born, the Yang family couldn't afford a babysitter. Lisa spent all day in the kitchen of the little takeout restaurant with … Continue reading In Six Languages (Flash Fiction #42) →

The Herbal Medicine (Flash Fiction #41)

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay "I'm afraid I need to return this." Penni stands at counter of the vacant little grocery store. "My store has a no return policy for any package that's opened." Leong, the store owner says sternly. "It's opened, but I couldn't use it. I got cold feet and dropped the … Continue reading The Herbal Medicine (Flash Fiction #41) →

The July 4th Long Weekend

Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay There are a lot of fireworks, big or small, in Edison Township over the weekend and one very exuberant one just blasted off outside of my window by a neighbor I guess. This year's celebration is obviously more intense than last year, or any previous year. … Continue reading The July 4th Long Weekend →

New Word #42: The Revolutionary War

Image by John Hain from Pixabay I learned many new words through the American Revolutionary War. One of the most interesting words is "dragoons"--they dismount their horses first before fighting on foot, unlike the cavalry who will fight while mounted. I just wonder where they would keep their horses while fighting? I mean on a … Continue reading New Word #42: The Revolutionary War →

New Word #41: Recently Learned

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay cabaret: entertainment held in a nightclub or restaurant while the audience eats or drinks at tables.From mjcd2017 here about the happy moments of life. ruddy: (of a person's face) having a healthy red color.From Shammi here with a story of a sage. ableist: discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.From … Continue reading New Word #41: Recently Learned →

Instant Response

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay Yesterday, I went to get my second shot of Moderna vaccine at the local Walmart. The pharmacist is very young, probably just out of the pharmacy school. He is very cute and also an immigrant, probably from Middle East somewhere. He explained to me that after getting the shot … Continue reading Instant Response →

New Word #40: Bluster, Blaster, Or Blister

There are a score of words that start with "b" and end in "st" or "ster", which are very confusing. I hope listing them out here will reduce the confusion, but I know I am probably hoping too much. Still we try, despite knowing the futility of it. Image by Momentmal from Pixabay blust: This … Continue reading New Word #40: Bluster, Blaster, Or Blister →

Romance And Pandemic (Flash Fiction #40)

Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash Here is another story of the family of Nita, her husband Lian, and her son Kevin. There's a previous story about the family here on the topic of superfluity--the two stories are not related and there's no need to read the previous story to understand the current story. Nita's … Continue reading Romance And Pandemic (Flash Fiction #40) →

The Russian Friend (Flash Fiction #39)

Photo by Cristofer Jeschke on Unsplash Lia is a new part time hire at Ivy Learning Center, which has many overqualified full time and part time teachers to tutor local kids--mainly from the surrounding middle schools and high schools. Summer is usually the busy time when anxious parents want to push their kids on SAT … Continue reading The Russian Friend (Flash Fiction #39) →

The Italian Name (Flash Fiction #38)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay "Can I also have a can of orange soda?" Armei says to the kid behind the counter, who looks like he's hardly out of high school. Armei can't even remember the days when she's out of high school. That's so long ago and she's growing old. "You mean the 'San … Continue reading The Italian Name (Flash Fiction #38) →

New Word #39: Eat And Drink

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash Most of these words for eating and drinking are often used. I've never seen "manducate" being used, but for the rest, they are all quite common. Sometimes I can encounter several just in one scene about a dinner or a party. There must be more words about eating and … Continue reading New Word #39: Eat And Drink →

Quote Of The Day #18

Image by Elena Tishkova from Pixabay "Orthodoxy" by G. K. Chesterton is on sale at Audible.com and you know me, who cannot resist a discount, which is the reason why my shelf is filled with books I don't feel like reading and my closet full of clothes I hardly ever wear. And Chesterton is rambling … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #18 →

New Word #38: Recently Learned

shiv: a knife or razor used as a weapon.kryptonite: an alien mineral that has the property of depriving Superman of his powers. (It's only used in fantasy novels or movies.)These are from Princess & Pages' posts here and here zany: amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.harping: talk or write persistently and tediously on (a particular topic).quibble: a … Continue reading New Word #38: Recently Learned →

Pammy Wants Justice (Flash Fiction #37)

Image by Alexas from Pixabay This story is a sequel to the previous flash story "The Cynic", which talks about the lunch Pammy had with her husband Pan at a new Asian restaurant opened up in Edison, New Jersey. There they met Brother Tai, who came to their table to sit with them for a … Continue reading Pammy Wants Justice (Flash Fiction #37) →

New Word #37: Walk

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels There are so many words for different kinds of walk or the same kind of walk that at certain point, I thought the list would never end. And I know there are more walks out there beyond this list. I wonder if the English speakers of the ancient times … Continue reading New Word #37: Walk →

New Word #36: Related With Senses

Photo by rikka ameboshi from Pexels tangible: perceptible by touch. intangible: unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence. palpable: (of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible. impalpable: unable to be felt by touch. perceptible: (especially of a slight movement or change of state) able to be seen … Continue reading New Word #36: Related With Senses →

Cicada 2021

Image by USA-Reiseblogger from Pixabay I haven't heard any sound from cicada in Edison, but it is said in the Princeton township 30 miles to the west, cicada is taking over the neighborhood. They climb on every branch and sing all day long and shed their skins everywhere. There's a very interesting article about New … Continue reading Cicada 2021 →

The Cynic (Flash Fiction #36)

Photo by Atul Vinayak on Unsplash A new Asian restaurant has opened up in Edison after New Jersey lifted most of the restrictions for dine-in places. However there's rumor that this is just an old restaurant, which shut down in the nearby township and moved to this new more popular location, to take advantage of … Continue reading The Cynic (Flash Fiction #36) →

The Great Escape

I should have read "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" long time ago, but I didn't. Mostly because I was afraid that the description is so bloody and horrid that I would be depressed after reading it, but I turn out to be stronger than I thought. There are only two … Continue reading The Great Escape →

The New Features

I have heard about the unbearable block editor of WordPress a lot from other people who had enjoyed the ease of use of the classic editor before, but I started WP last year on the block editor, and I don't have a better experience of the previous editor to compare it to. However I've experienced … Continue reading The New Features →

New Word #35: True Or False

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Related With Being True veridiction: A statement that is true according to the worldview of a particular subject, rather than objectively true. verisimilitude: the appearance of being true or real. verity: a true principle or belief, especially one of fundamental importance. veracity: conformity to facts; accuracy. verification: the process … Continue reading New Word #35: True Or False →

All The Loving Fathers

Image by Antony Trivet from Pixabay This is a corresponding post for "All The Loving Mothers" written on Mother's day in May. Laid Back Fathers Laid back fathers are usually nice and fun loving, leaving most of the domestic decisions to their spouses. They will step up to take charge when their wife nag them … Continue reading All The Loving Fathers →

Quote Of The Day #16

I just read the essay "It Is Obscene" from https://www.chimamanda.com/ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose book "Americanah" I bought but haven't read yet. And it is such a wonderful essay, in which the author describes a student of her workshop who criticized her unfairly or heartlessly. People who ask you to ‘educate’ yourself while not … Continue reading Quote Of The Day #16 →

Resilient But Divided

When I was young, there's an old guy in our neighborhood who was rumored to have a colorful life--a farmer turned bandit, a bandit turned soldier turned small business owner. He's been to Russia and several other countries for business and had some beautiful souvenirs on display, which were covered under a piece of embroidered … Continue reading Resilient But Divided →

New Word #34: Recently Learned

Image by Iván Tamás from Pixabay rambler: A person who walks for pleasure, especially in the countryside. I wonder if it may also means a person who talk or write at length in a confused or inconsequential way.This is from colinmcqueen here. squish: make a soft squelching sound when walked on or in. This is … Continue reading New Word #34: Recently Learned →

Targeted

Photo by Christopher Gower on Unsplash Language Ever since I started to learn Thai for 15 minutes a day, I've seen advertisement about language learning programs one after another. I used to hear a lot about Rosetta Stone software years ago, but now it has disappeared--no advertisement from Rosetta Stone. However there are plenty of … Continue reading Targeted →

New Word #33: Different Kinds Of Villains

Photo by Taryn Elliott from Pexels desperado: a desperate or reckless person, especially a criminal. degenerate: an immoral or corrupt person. rogue: a dishonest or unprincipled man. scoundrel: a dishonest or unscrupulous person; a rogue. fugitive: a person who has escaped from a place or is in hiding, especially to avoid arrest or persecution. Actually … Continue reading New Word #33: Different Kinds Of Villains →

The Taste Of Chocolate (Flash Fiction #35)

Photo by Serghei Savchiuc on Unsplash When Apei was a little girl, her mother--for the sake of the family economy--would never buy chocolate for her. Thirty years ago in Penang--a tropical island off the coast of Malaysia-- chocolate was very expensive. Other candies made of coconut and durian are readily available. Apei had plenty of … Continue reading The Taste Of Chocolate (Flash Fiction #35) →

New Word #32: Humor

I've been complained about the sheer number of English words for a long time, especially when a lot of words can be used to describe one thing, each representing a slightly different shade of it, the subtlety of which can be easily detectable by native speakers but often escape notice from everybody else. However when … Continue reading New Word #32: Humor →

Local Politics (Flash Fiction #34)

"Oh, you are so naive. You have no idea of the numerous little things. New Jersey has a unique party line politics." Dodo says. "What is party line?" Pammy asks. "It's too complicated to explain to you. If you participate in our meetings, gradually you will know. You've never come to a political meeting before? … Continue reading Local Politics (Flash Fiction #34) →

New Word #31: Different Collections

Image by FelixMittermeier from Pixabay A List Or A Collection anthology: a published collection of poems or other pieces of writing. repertoire: a stock of plays, dances, or pieces that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform. portfolio: a collection of financial investments; a collection of drawings or maps. programme: booklet … Continue reading New Word #31: Different Collections →

Life And Existence

I've never known the difference between the word freedom and the word liberty--I think the two are interchangeable but most likely they are not. However I am too lazy to look it up. It's like watching all the seasons of "Frasier", but never really figuring out the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Still … Continue reading Life And Existence →

A Happy Accident (Flash Fiction #33)

Arjian is a local hairdresser and a regular gambler at Atlantic City--a casino town at the southern end of New Jersey. There's a previous story about him here. On Saturday morning, when Arjian's wife Mei goes to the drive-by ATM machine, she finds that the balance is increased by about $10,000. She doesn't know where … Continue reading A Happy Accident (Flash Fiction #33) →

New Word #30: Varying Degrees Of Disagreement

Image by My Luu from Pixabay Have some doubts misgiving: a feeling of doubt or apprehension about the outcome or consequences of something. qualm: an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one's own conduct; a misgiving. Disagree silently acquiesce: accept something reluctantly but without protest. Disagree mildly demur: raise doubts or objections … Continue reading New Word #30: Varying Degrees Of Disagreement →

The Controversy (Flash Fiction #32)

Photo by Providence Doucet on Unsplash "There's an ancient fable about a vendor selling spears and shields by the road. A bunch of spears are displayed tidily on his left with a sign that says,'the world's best spears that can puncture any shield.' On his right, there is a pile of shield on which there … Continue reading The Controversy (Flash Fiction #32) →

How To Talk (Flash Fiction #31)

Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay "I love this house when it's in my dream and it's being built. Once I live here, it’s a very different story." Armei says at the dinner table. Armei and Pammy and Lulu are good friends and also their husbands get along with each other. For this Saturday, the … Continue reading How To Talk (Flash Fiction #31) →

Poem Of The Day #15

Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay Love is a blind leap from the quietness of our frozen presumption. Suddenly the hushed order we proudly immure ourselves becomes laughable and absurd-- from a lover's eye. All the mistakes we made-- casually construed, clumsily carried out. Then it abruptly ended when you stormed off. You had a … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #15 →

New Word #29: Recently Learned

Image by Comfreak from Pixabay chortle: laugh in a breathy, gleeful way; chuckle.The word is from Clayjonz's post here. gyration: a rapid movement in a circle or spiral; a whirling motion.skanky: dirty and unpleasant.This is from Bonnywood's post here. bumptious: self-assertive or proud to an irritating degree.This is from Pooja's post here. typology: a classification … Continue reading New Word #29: Recently Learned →

The Neighbors (Flash Fiction #30)

KPhoto by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash Kyi-sook has this continuous feud with her neighbor Joe. Kyi-sook's husband Kai is a very laid-back guy and doesn't want to make a fuss at all. After prodding her husband numerous times without seeing any results, Kyi-sook realizes that she is the one who has to go out there … Continue reading The Neighbors (Flash Fiction #30) →

Quote And Review–“An Introduction To Existentialism”

This book is so easy to read and so good that I can't tell you how much I love it. It's almost beyond my power of praise, just like "Notes From Underground" by Dostoevsky and "Words" by Sartre, which I love to read and hopefully to reread sometime. You don't need any philosophical background to … Continue reading Quote And Review–“An Introduction To Existentialism” →

New Word #28: More Confusing Pairs

There are countless confusing pairs in English that it is very easy to mistake one for the other. Here I list a few that I encountered recently. wreck and wrack wreck: a vehicle or ship that has been destroyed or badly damaged wrack: 1 : ruin, destruction. 2 : a remnant of something destroyed. These … Continue reading New Word #28: More Confusing Pairs →

A Book Of Ancient Tales (Flash Fiction #29)

Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash "You know Armei tells me that her daughter Lily says she wants to be a YouTube star. Armei is furious. All those tuition fees Armei has to pay, only to see her wasting her time..." Pammy says as the whole family sits down to dinner. Armei's husband Pan just … Continue reading A Book Of Ancient Tales (Flash Fiction #29) →

New Word #27 Recently Learned

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay angst: a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.from Bonnywood's post here rogue: This word is most often used in "to be a rogue" or "to go rogue", which means to be a mischievous … Continue reading New Word #27 Recently Learned →

Energy (Flash Fiction #28)

Photo by Susanna Marsiglia on Unsplash "I am so bored." I hear myself saying. Nalan and I have evolved from talking on phone to talking on Zoom. "I am more bored than you are." Nalan says. That's just typical of Nalan. Whenever I say something, she will say she is more than me. If I … Continue reading Energy (Flash Fiction #28) →

New Word #26: Singular Or Plural

Photo by Lucrezia Carnelos on Unsplash I have never been very comfortable with this issue since there are so many exceptions to the rule that I often wonder if I would be making a mistake if I follow the rule--as a non-native speaker, this is nothing new to me. At first I was quite frustrated … Continue reading New Word #26: Singular Or Plural →

Don’t See The Contradiction

After reading Herb's blog about Walmart protester who is eager to buy Walmart merchandise, I can think of people in my life who are unaware of the contradiction in their behavior. Even if one points it out to them, they still don't see it. The Crazy Lovers Or Haters This happened many years ago among … Continue reading Don’t See The Contradiction →

New Word #25: Used And Confused

Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels The following are two groups of words that are not infrequently used, one starting with t and the other starting with f or fl. I constantly get confused between tout and taunt, flaunt and flout, flounder and founder and flounce. The most surprising of all is founder which is … Continue reading New Word #25: Used And Confused →

New Word #24: The Three Letter F Words

Photo by Julien Riedel on Unsplash Fig, fun, fog are commonly known, but there are many interesting three letter words that are not often used, like fib, fob, fub, fab, fad, fop, fab: fabulous; wonderful. fad: an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something fid: a square wooden or iron bar fib: a lie, typically … Continue reading New Word #24: The Three Letter F Words →

New Word #23: Being Indirect

Image by hudsoncrafted from Pixabay Being Indirect prevaricate: speak or act in an evasive way. equivocate: use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself. circumlocution: the use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive. implicit: implied though not plainly expressed. … Continue reading New Word #23: Being Indirect →

An American Marriage

This is the first book I read by the author Tayari Jones. I really like the book. In many places, it is very funny although the plot is about a terrible injustice done to the main character, Roy, who's handsome, well educated, married. He's wrongly accused of rape and is jailed for five years before … Continue reading An American Marriage →

She Has News (Flash Fiction #26)

Image by jplenio from Pixabay "Yashin, you can't stop talking, can you? Every time we chat, you have such bad news about mass shootings, Asians being attacked on the streets of New York, or some other disasters. When you exhaust the U.S. news, you talk about Mongolians' invasion of Burma in the 13th century." Lalin … Continue reading She Has News (Flash Fiction #26) →

Good Or Bad Suggestions (Flash Fiction #27)

Image by marcelkessler from Pixabay It's an weekend afternoon at Pammy's place. "What am I going to do?" Lil asks, staring at her friend Pammy and then Armei. "Just confront him. Just be straightforward and open about it. Of course you want to have solid evidence first." Pammy says. "OK, let's go then." Lil says. … Continue reading Good Or Bad Suggestions (Flash Fiction #27) →

New Word #22: A Period Of Time

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash I've always thought there are a lot of words to signify a period of time, but when I listed them out, there were not as many as I thought. I must have missed some. Please let me know if you have used or encountered such a word before. I've … Continue reading New Word #22: A Period Of Time →

Words And Childhood

There are so many quotes from this book that I don't know where to start. It's Sartre's autobiography--the first 10 years of his life--when he and his widowed mother lived with his grandparents. It's a happy childhood, and Sartre repaid the love he received with penetrating comments. He couldn't have been so sharp as a … Continue reading Words And Childhood →

Poem Of The Day #14

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay In an alternative history of an alternative universe, we would have nagged each other to death. You are so clean and immaculate-- your desk is free of a speck of dust, pens, files, folders line up as if soldiers in morning drills. How much your mother must have tidied … Continue reading Poem Of The Day #14 →

New Word #21: Learned Recently

Photo by Diane Helentjaris on Unsplash veracity: conformity to facts; accuracy.This is from Pooja here. detente: the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries.This is from Mitchteemley here. sally: a sudden charge out of a besieged place against the enemy; a sortie. (noun or verb)"O, that this too too sallied flesh would meltThaw … Continue reading New Word #21: Learned Recently →